WASHINGTON – Congressman Connie Mack (FL-14), the Ranking Republican of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, issued the following statement today after former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya announced late yesterday that “the accord is dead.”

Mack said:

“While this is not an agreement I would have supported, both Manuel Zelaya and President Roberto Micheletti have agreed to abide by its terms. Zelaya is someone who cannot be trusted, and it’s not surprising that Zelaya backed out of the agreement.

“Zelaya is a power-hungry comrade of Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, and he will stop at nothing to reclaim his presidency. Zelaya was resoundingly rejected by the Honduran people in June because he couldn’t be trusted then to leave office for illegally changing the Honduran Constitution, and he can’t be trusted now.

“The people of Honduras want freedom, security and prosperity. They need to stand strong and reject the failed policies of Chavez and his cronies like Zelaya, and the United States should stand with the Honduran people as they stand against the tyranny of Zelaya’s power grab and embrace freedom.”

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